


Lesson 7: Life and Death

by SirGhirahim



Series: Our Lessons [7]
Category: Vikings (TV)
Genre: Death, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family, Plague, life - Freeform, small threats
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-28
Updated: 2016-10-28
Packaged: 2018-08-27 14:03:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8404441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SirGhirahim/pseuds/SirGhirahim
Summary: Lagertha knows that there is something wrong with Athelstan and decides to get an answer out of him, even if it means she has to use force.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. Please don't sue me I'm poor.

Lesson 7: Life and Death

"You need to chop a bit harder" Lagertha said as she instructed Athelstan on how to properly chop up a chicken.

"Like this?" Athelstan asked he chopped harder.

"Just like that" she smiled "Now keep it up until the whole chicken is chopped up into pieces"

"Yes ma'am" Athelstan said as he kept chopping up the chicken.

Lagertha smiled and focused on peeling the potatoes. She and Athelstan were making a stew for dinner. After her initial scepticism of the priest that would be their slave, she now enjoyed Athelstan's company. He was very considerate of her and it was refreshing to be around a man who was not all muscle and rough. Like Ragnar she had noticed how delicate his skin was and wondered what it would be like to have that smoothness rubbed all over her body.

"I'm going out" Gyda said running into the room.

"Where are you going?" her mother asked.

"To the beach with my friends" Gyda replies and then runs out of the door.

Lagertha shakes her head and goes back to the potatoes, but notices Athelstan was acting strange. He was looking at the door where Gyda has just run out. His mouth was smiling, but his eyes were sad. Lagertha had always had good intuition and knew when something was bothering someone. She would have to ask Athelstan what was wrong later.

Athelstan and Lagertha had put the stew pot onto boil and Lagertha decided now would be a good time to ask Athelstan what was wrong.

"Athelstan"

"Yes?"

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"No" Athelstan replied a little confused.

"You were looking at Gyda when she left you seemed sad, why?" she asked.

"N-No reason" Athelstan replied. He hadn't realised that she had seen him.

Lagertha was not convinced and pressed further "I have seen you do it often. You look at her sadly, like you are thinking of something. What is it?" she asked.

"I-It is nothing" Athelstan stuttered.

"Do not force my hand priest" Lagertha said darkly.

"You do not have to use any type of force against me. It is nothing and I have nothing to say" Athelstan said.

Lagertha had heard enough and lost her temper. She grabbed Athelstan by his clothing collar and slammed him down onto the table. She picked up a knife and put to close to his face "You are making me angry, speak priest" she spat.

Athelstan was shocked by Lagertha's actions, but not her strength she was a shield maiden after all "I can't" he replied still refusing to speak.

Lagertha put the knife closer to his face and said "Tell me"

"No" Athelstan replied.

The pressure was on for one of them to give up and neither one of them wanted to lose.

Lagertha didn't really want to hurt Athelstan, but she was losing her patience. She inched the knife closer until it touched his cheek.    

Athelstan gasped when he felt the cold metal blade touch his cheek. He didn't want to get cut and he didn't want to tell, but he was so afraid that he just blurted it out "My sister!"

Lagertha pulled the knife away and looked at Athelstan in surprise. It was not the answer she was expecting "Your sister?" she asked confused.

"I had sister, Gyda reminds me of her" Athelstan confessed as tears came to his eyes.

"You have a sister?" she asked.

"I _had_ a sister" he corrected.

Lagertha naturally assumed he had meant Ragnar had taken him away from his sister, but quickly realised she was wrong "What happened to her?" she asked.

"There was a plague, she got sick and never got better" Athelstan answered as the tears fell from his eyes.

Lagertha put the knife down and put Athelstan back onto his feet. She could see him shaking and sat him down on a chair. She hugged him and whispered it was ok and that she was sorry.

After several minutes Athelstan calmed down "I'm sorry" he said to Lagertha.

"For what?" she asked.

"For being disobedient" he replied.

"Oh Athelstan don't worry about it" she said "How is Gyda like your sister?" she asked.

"She has the same hair and free spirit. She was only a year younger than Gyda when she died" Athelstan replied.

"Too young" Lagertha said sadly.

"She was" Athelstan whispered.

Later on Gyda, Bjorn and Ragnar came back home. They sat at the table and ate the stew. When they had finished Athelstan washed up.

As Athelstan was distracted with the washing up Lagertha decided to pull Ragnar a side and talk to him. She told him about what had happened earlier.

"So his father is gone and his sister" Ragnar said "I wonder if he had any family back in England"

"You should ask" Lagertha said.  

"It would upset him" Ragnar pointed out.

"He will talk" Lagertha replied.

Ragnar knew what she meant and agreed that he would talk to him. Ragnar kept an eye on Athelstan until he had finished the washing and took him down to the Fjord.

"I need to ask you something Athelstan" Ragnar said.

"What is it?"

"Do you have any family back in England?" Ragnar asked.

Athelstan swallowed hard and looked away.

"Athelstan" Ragnar said slightly urging him to talk.

"No, I don't" Athelstan replied.

"What happened to them?" Ragnar asked.

Athelstan didn't look or speak to Ragnar.

Ragnar kept calm and grabbed Athelstan, not roughly, but firmly enough to pull him close and make him look at him "Athelstan" he said.

Athelstan knew that tone was not a good one and had no alternative but to talk "My father died in the war and my sister died in the plague like the rest of my family"

"Who else?" Ragnar asked.

"My mother and my five brothers" Athelstan replied.

Ragnar let go of Athelstan and said "A grave loss"

"It was. Watching you and your family reminds me of them sometimes" Athelstan confessed.

"How did you survive?" Ragnar asked.

"I don't know. I got sick, but I got better. When all of my family was dead I was given to the monastery" Athelstan replied.

Ragnar felt sorry for Athelstan. To lose all of his family at once would be tough for anyone, even Ragnar. He wrapped an arm around Athelstan' shoulder and pulled him into his chest.

"You can cry if you want to" Ragnar said. Soon after he felt warm tears hit his trouser leg.

"I miss them" Athelstan said.

"Of course you do" Ragnar said and let Athelstan weep into chest for as long as he wanted to.


End file.
